In July, with American flags flying, we celebrate our nation’s birthday and the freedoms and protections we hold dear. Although love for your country can take many forms, Social Security takes preventing and combatting fraud as seriously as we take our other vital missions.

Does your bathroom need a makeover? Go beyond functional and stylish updates and consider upgrades that add an element of safety, too. A few affordable, small updates can dramatically affect your bathroom's level of safety while still providing a look you’ll love.

(BPT) - Everyone has special holiday traditions, from heirloom decorations to secret recipes passed down from generation to generation. Whether your holiday celebration means an intimate family gathering or an elaborate house-filled party, why not add something new to your festive mix?

(BPT) - When was the last time you met with a financial professional? Would you be more likely to keep those appointments if you knew some specific questions to ask? These meetings provide an important opportunity for you to ensure your strategy is still on track and ensure your family and finances are protected.

Retail giant Bed Bath & Beyond just announced plans to buy back another $2 billion in shares, which the company will start doing after it completes its current share repurchase program. You’ve seen it before: Press releases emphasize that buybacks return value to shareholders, analysts sometimes rely on repurchases to spot a stock to write up next, and management likes to tout their focus on shareholder returns. But what’s the real story?

Have you ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at a rock concert? My good friend Stew is a top audio engineer—you know, the guy who wears thousand-dollar headphones and stands below the stage manning dials at rock concerts the world over. I shadowed him backstage a handful of times, and the scene was not what I thought it would be.

If you’re a typical small-time investor, chances are you prefer to let a team of analysts fuss about such irksome things as correlation and beta. Maybe you’ve bought a stock because your brother-in-law gave you a hot tip, maybe you heard something about it on a financial news show, or maybe you just loved the company’s product.

My grandmother refused to share the heart-wrenching details until I was in the Marine Corps. I’d heard bits and pieces about my ne’er-do-well father but didn’t fully grasp the devastation he’d left behind until Grandmother spilled the story with tears in her eyes: